Biodiversity and Classification—Sample Online Research Project

Even with all we know about life on Earth, scientists continue to find new species of animals. Nine to 10 million animal species are thought to exist, though the exact number is unknown. It’s not an easy task to catalog such a vast number of… well… of anything.

It’s time to do some research on the latest finds in Kingdom Animalia. Using the key words and phrases below to search for information, find out as much as you can about some of the most recently discovered animal species. Gather pictures, descriptions, scientific names and information about when, where and by whom the animal was discovered.

When you’ve completed your research, write a news story about a newly discovered animal species. Your news story should be illustrated and suitable for television broadcast to a target audience of second- and third-graders. That means that the story must be scientifically factual, yet understandable by someone much younger than yourself. Include information about the animal’s habitat and the environment in which it lives. And most importantly, make the story engaging!

Here are some key words and links to help you with your research. Be sure to put phrases in quotes.

Key words

new animal discovered
giant squid
new rodent
kha-nyou
new dwarf human

Links

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1028486.stm
http://www.calacademy.org/science_now/archive/headline_science/new_critter_120700.htm
http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Post/331327
http://amazonia.org.br/english/noticias/print.cfm?id=111767
http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/HTML/squid_opening.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0927_050927_giant_squid.html
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000D87BC-659F-1282-A59F83414B7F0000
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2141-2004Oct27.html
http://timeforkids.com/TFK/news/printout/0,9187,768694,00.html

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